Lawson reveals 'biggest challenge' of Red Bull switch

At Monza this weekend, Liam Lawson sat in the cockpit of the RB21, feeling the stark difference through the steering wheel. The New Zealander had just experienced one of the most stressful weeks of his career: receiving a last-minute call to replace the injured Isack Hadjar (wrist), driving the Red Bull RB21 at Zandvoort, and then being retained for the Monza race. But what haunted him was not the pressure of racing alongside Max Verstappen, but the near-total difference between two cars from the same corporate family. "The car is different everywhere, other than the power unit," Lawson shared. "Even in the simulator, the feeling is very different. That's the biggest challenge." This statement is not just a complaint from a driver adapting, but a valuable data point on how Red Bull and Racing Bulls operate as separate technical entities, even when sharing a common design platform. To understand better, context is needed: Lawson learned he would drive the Red Bull on Wednesday, just days before the Zandvoort race. He said it "felt late, but there was enough time for a simulator session and normal prep." Zandvoort was a Sprint weekend, meaning only one practice session before qualifying. For a driver switching to a completely different car, this was almost a shock. He finished P7, scoring points, but admitted it was a "stressful but overall a good weekend." The crux lies in how Lawson described the difference: "The high-speed grip of the Red Bull is the most impressive, but the balance of the car is very different. Different including the feedback through the steering and the way it moves around." This is not a superficial comment. When a driver has the opportunity to drive both cars in the same season, he becomes a valuable "natural experiment": same driver, same tires, same circuits, different chassis. The difference Lawson feels reflects Red Bull's design philosophy: optimized for ultimate performance, traded off by a narrower operating window, demanding more finesse from the driver. Meanwhile, Racing Bulls, despite being the junior team, has a car that is easier to drive at the limit but with a lower performance ceiling. This is the classic trade-off in F1 design: a car with a wider operating window (more forgiving balance) tends to sacrifice ultimate downforce. Lawson, during preparation, talked to both teams' engineers to stay ready for any scenario. He called this the hardest part: not just adapting to one car, but maintaining readiness for two completely different cars, with different steering feedback and handling characteristics. Another notable point is how Red Bull managed the information flow. Lawson knew on Wednesday, not at the last minute, but not too early either. This suggests the team carefully weighed Hadjar's recovery prospects against Lawson's preparation needs. It was a deliberate decision, not a rushed scramble. And with Monza being a normal weekend with three practice sessions, Lawson gains roughly two additional hours of track time to adapt to the RB21. He said: "Now it should be easier to adjust, with three practice sessions and a more normal weekend. It's another good opportunity." But there is a counter-intuitive angle that data cannot fully capture: Monza is the lowest-downforce circuit on the calendar. What Lawson praised about the Red Bull — high-speed grip — is less relevant at Monza, where straight-line speed and braking stability are decisive. Can the RB21 show its strength on a track that does not demand high-speed cornering grip? This is a question only Sunday's race will answer. Moreover, this rotation exposes a rare instability at a top team: this is the second time in the 2026 season that Red Bull has shuffled its driver lineup. Lawson was promoted, Tsunoda was demoted to Racing Bulls, and Hadjar, despite his injury, remains part of this rotation. This not only affects the team's points in the constructors' battle but also sends a strong signal that Red Bull is evaluating who will be Verstappen's teammate for the 2026 season, when new power unit and chassis regulations take effect. Lawson, at 24, understands he is in an extended "audition." He is not just racing for points but for a permanent future seat. His humility in speaking about the challenge — no complaints, no overconfidence — is a good sign. But in a sport where data and emotion intertwine, the biggest question is not whether Lawson is fast enough, but whether he can turn the difference between the two cars into an advantage, or if it will remain an invisible barrier that only time can erase. The Monza weekend will be a test not only for Lawson but also for how Red Bull operates its two-team system. Can the RB21, with its impressive high-speed grip, adapt to a track demanding straight-line speed and braking stability? Can Lawson, with only three practice sessions, find the balance that Verstappen has mastered for years? And more importantly, is this rotation part of a larger plan for the 2026 season, or just a temporary solution to an unfortunate injury? These questions will not be answered immediately, but they show that in F1, every decision, no matter how small, is a link in a complex web, where data is only part of the story.